Author: John Tillman

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Joshua 10 Listen: (7:23)  Read:  Ephesians 2 Listen: (3:04)

Scripture Focus: Joshua 10.22-26

22 Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” 26 Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening.

Reflection: Dethroning Kings and Powers

By John Tillman

In 2003, Saddam Hussein was dragged from a hole in the ground in Iraq, humiliatingly illustrating his fall from power. Three years later, Iraqis convicted Hussein of one of many mass killings from decades of unaccountable brutality, and executed him by hanging.

Across Iraq and the world, people celebrated sang, danced, and cried tears of relief. Victims and families felt a measure of justice. Few mourned Hussein or his brutal regime, even as we mourned the devastation of Iraq required to bring him down.

Like Hussein, five Amorite kings were dragged from a cave where they were hiding from Israel’s army. We aren’t given details of their crimes. We only know that during Abraham’s time, their sin had not “reached its full measure,” but in Joshua’s day, the time of judgment had arrived. (Genesis 15.16)

Joshua had Israelite leaders place their feet on the kings’ necks before he killed them. Kings who spent their lifetimes with their feet on the necks of their subjects and enemies, were treated as they had treated others. For the proud, humiliation is worse than violence and dishonor worse than death.

Knowing these kings were wicked doesn’t make Canaan’s conquest easy reading. Wars and deaths, even when we know the criminality of leaders, peoples, or countries are still tragic. People, wicked or not, suffer, and death is our enemy, not our ally.

From one perspective, Joshua is the story of a king-killer and a god-killer. Just like the plagues of Egypt made theological statements, disarming the gods of Pharaoh, the destruction of Canaanite city states made theological statements, disarming the gods of Canaan’s kings. Joshua was defeating the spiritual powers over the land. Joshua threw down kings but did not take their place. God was the only king or power Israel needed.

We usually don’t mind killing kings when they are wicked. The problem is we want their thrones for ourselves. Like Israel, we want a king “like other nations” (1 Samuel 8.4-7) and we want it to be us. We dethrone sinful despots, then become them. Whether or not there are wicked kings and their gods over us, there are often wicked kings and their idols within us.

The regime change we need is to dethrone the sinful powers in our hearts. We need to drag them out of hiding, where Jesus the seed of Eve will crush their heads under his feet.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” — Matthew 28.16-20

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Forces and Powers

We don’t resist the world’s powers with worldly weapons or resist demonic powers by attacking humans.

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Links for today’s readings:

Read: Joshua 3 Listen: (2:45) Read: Romans 16 Listen: (3:30)

Scripture Focus: Joshua 3.14-17

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Reflection: Over Jordan

By John Tillman

Crossing the Jordan has been a spiritual metaphor for centuries, but it took special meaning for slaves in the American South. It symbolized an escape from slavery, shelter in place of homelessness, and fruitfulness in place of a barren desert.

In the story of Israel’s failure to enter due to fear, and their return in faith after wandering for 40 years, the Jordan symbolizes a place at which faith and courage are required.

In the story of the transition from Moses to Joshua, from Elijah to Elisha, and from John the Baptist to Jesus, the Jordan symbolizes a change in leadership.

And of course, the Jordan represents entering the promised land, with Canaan standing in as the eternal land we are destined for in Heaven.

On one side of the river is the desert, the unforgiving land, the land of trials, the land of sin, the land of rebellion, the land of suffering.

On the other side of the river is the land that is promised, the land of blessing, the land of freedom, the land of rest, the land of satisfaction and plenty.

The Jordan also represents the final crossing of death—both a time of judgment and a time of cleansing. For Christians, the waters of the crossing hold no terror. We do not enter them alone. Someone else marches in with us. His nail-pierced feet touch the waters and they pile up, inviting us to cross without muddying our clothes.

We cross the Jordan not with priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, but with Christ, our High Priest. When we cross over the Jordan with Christ, the land has no enemies to be defeated. It has no cities to march around and no battles to be fought. For, there too, Christ has gone before us, preparing a place for us. It is there that we will be fed by the tree that grows in the river that comes from the throne of God. It is there that we will take from that tree healing for the nations.

“Our home is over Jordan.” It is over Jordan that our tears will be wiped away.

Music: “Our home is over Jordan.” “Deep River” — Marian Anderson

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Search for the Lord and his strength; continually seek his face. — Psalm 105.4

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Healthy Patriotism

Rarely are nations totally evil or good…Healthy patriotism, like healthy Christianity, celebrates good while lamenting and resisting evil.

Read more: Jeremiah, the Unpatriotic Prophet

The most patriotic thing Christians can do is see the problems of our nation and speak the gospel to them.

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Joshua 2 Listen: (3:49) Read: Romans 15 Listen: (4:32)

Scripture Focus: Joshua 2.8-11

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Reflection: Becoming Part of the Promise

By John Tillman

Those who feel powerless to stop sexual victimization will often attempt to profit from it and Rahab had carved a place for herself in the power structure of Jericho.

Her work filled a niche in the economy and her brothel filled a niche in the wall. Powerful men knew her well and came to her not only for sex but for intelligence.

Her brothel, situated strategically in the wall of the city and near the gate, was a natural place to search for unsavory, shifty spies in the land. The leaders knew that if there were trouble-makers, Rahab would have seen them. If there was trouble coming, Rahab would have heard of it.

She had heard of trouble, probably from the bedside whispers of some of these same men. The rumors coming out of the desert told of a people whose God fought for them. A God so powerful that his people couldn’t be cursed. Armies fled before them. Canaanite gods were powerless.

Sending the leaders away with a plot of misdirection, Rahab plotted a new direction in life as she climbed up to the spies hiding on her roof.

I imagine her sitting on the roof with Abraham’s promised children, not yet equal in number to the stars they sit under. There, she delivers to their ears the pillow talk of her clients. The powerful kings of Jericho and surrounding towns were melting with fear. Rahab asks to be accepted by this powerful God who is not only in the heavens but active upon the Earth.

In this act, Rahab the Canaanite prostitute becomes a part of the Abrahamic promise. The promise itself would pass through her womb as one of the Canaanite grandmothers of Jesus. God who promised Abraham these children, numbered like stars, would fulfill to an infinite degree the promise he made to Abraham to bless the nations, through the fruit of Rahab’s womb.

No situation is hopeless and no person is doomed to destruction who turns to God. No matter what niche of the economy we feel trapped in or what political citadel demands our loyalty, like Rahab, we can climb on the roof, look to the stars, and join the children of the promise. We can help birth God’s promise on Earth to benefit others.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
For your love is before my eyes; I have walked faithfully with you.
I have not sat with the worthless, nor do I consort with the deceitful.
I have hated the company of evildoers; I will not sit down with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, that I may go in procession round your altar,
Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving and recounting all your wonderful deeds. — Psalm 26.2-7

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Jericho’s Wall

Many scriptures say how terrified everyone in Canaan was of Israel, but none say they taunted Israel or made fun of God’s plan of marching around the city.

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